The Jericho Project provides an alternative to jail for people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse who have been arrested and charged with a crime. Many of their clients have cycled in and out of the justice system, homelessness, emergency rooms and other costly emergency services for years without ever getting the treatment and support they need for recovery.
Recovery Support Specialists work with Jericho clients to develop their own individualized plans to connect to community services. Plans can connect individuals with a variety of services and supports in the community, including mental health and substance abuse treatment, case management, housing, transportation and benefits. Jericho’s intensive case management assist individuals in linking with this array of services. The plans work because they are developed collaboratively with clients.
The Voices of Jericho project began in 2004 by True Story Pictures. The project documents via videos the stories of individuals with serious mental illness who have been involved with the criminal justice system in Memphis, TN.
Population of focus: Incarcerated adults with mental illness and substance abuse disorders
Links to resources:
- The Jericho Project: http://www.jerichoproject.org/index.php
- Voices of Jericho: http://voicesofjericho.virb.com/films
On Facebook:
- The Jericho Project: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jericho-Project/185830359334
- Voices of Jericho: https://www.facebook.com/JerichoMemphis
Organization: Jericho Project
Date: 1983